STP: Ms. Splosion Man is an incredible platformer that's hampered by an ill-conceived pay scheme.
A popular and former Xbox 360 exclusive is free for a limited time on Xbox One, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and if you still have one, on Xbox 360 too. What's the catch? Well, the offer is limited to Xbox Live Gold subscribers, however, the free game isn't through Games With Gold. It's unclear why the game has been made free for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, and we don't know how long it's free for, but at the moment of publishing, all subscribers can download it free of charge and play it as much or as little as they want as long as they maintain an active subscription.
Ms. Splosion Man is a 2.5D action/platformer based around the simple concept of 'splosions and the ridiculousness that ensues, featuring up to co-op multiplayer, local and online, a story mode chock full of hilarious cinemas seamlessly integrated into gameplay and epic boss battles.
The waning days of summer are upon us, and for the first time in six years Microsoft hasn't kept the release schedule moving with its annual Summer of Arcade promotion. Part of that is no doubt due to the promotion's title. It's named after a delineation between downloadable "Arcade" games and larger retail games that Microsoft readily acknowledges isn't as relevant in the modern market. However, this summer passed us by without any similar promotion, even as Sony continued its PLAY program. Why? We can glean part of the answer by looking back at how the promotion developed over the years.
